As will be understood, the use of artificial trees has increased rapidly over the last few years. The most significant commercial use is, of course, Christmas trees, although synthetic trees are being used in increasing numbers to decorate such areas as patios, porches and other areas of residences and commercial buildings. This rapid increase in use of such trees has been brought about for a number of reasons, including the development of a plurality of different resins which may be readily formulated economically into the proper configuration for such shapes as trees and/or plants, the increased cost of providing natural trees for such uses because of the length of time necessary to produce them and because of the cost of maintaining them in a proper and healthy state, together with increasing objections of ecologists in removing natural trees from their environment and/or destroying them after relatively short periods of use, such as, for example, when they are used for Christmas trees. Moreover, there is an increasing awareness of fire hazards, particularly in the use of Christmas trees, both for decoration in the home and in commercial establishments. With the development of thermoplastics, for example, which may be readily formulated or otherwise molded into parts for decorative or artificial trees, there has been a related development in the use of fire retardants in those plastics for inhibiting flame promulgation in artificial, decorative trees placed in a residence or public establishment.
Because of these factors, it is much safer, less costly, and less difficult for someone to purchase a knocked down, artificial tree, and to assemble it for use for the short period of time involved, and thereafter to store it and reuse it over a period of years. Moreover, many commercial establishments employ artificial trees on a large scale, both for use as Christmas trees, and as permanent decoration without incurring undue maintenance costs after their assembly and placement, and without requiring special precautions to comply with fire codes.
Many difficulties may arise, however, in the use of artificial trees, both with respect to general decorative ones and Christmas trees, in that the purchaser of such trees may not be dexterous or aesthetically inclined, while the trees heretofore available have required skill, patience and a degree of aesthetic inclination for arranging and assembling the branches to the trunk or supporting pole, to give a desired simulation of a natural tree. Attempts have been made to overcome these difficulties by such means as prenumbering or otherwise coding a plurality of bore holes drilled into the supporting trunk or pole, and in a similar manner, coding the branches, so that the assembly is properly coordinated. However, with these arrangements, after a period of use, the holes often tend to become enlarged and the branches have a tendency to rotate or otherwise become improperly oriented.
With respect to this latter problem, attempts have been made to overcome this by providing branch-retaining rings which are slid down along the trunk of the tree and spaced therealong for holding the individual branches. Whereas, these arrangements have served to provide for holding the branches in their proper orientation in the rings after they are placed there, these rings still require the assembler to select and insert the branches from a plurality of such branches, in order to arrange the tree in an appropriate fashion.
With this invention, by contrast, a plurality of retaining rings are provided for predetermined positioning in spaced relation along the vertical extent of a tree-supporting pole. The retaining rings are preselected to be positioned along the trunk in an assigned numbered or otherwise coded fashion. The retaining rings have a preselected number and size of branches, depending upon which portion of the tree is being assembled, in order to provide the appropriate shape and degree of foliage for that particular section of the tree. Cooperating in alternating fashion along the supporting pole of the tree are a plurality of spacers, in the form of tubular members of varying length, again preselected to be positioned along the trunk in an assigned numbered or otherwise coded fashion. Moreover, the spacers are textured and colored on the outer surfaces thereof to simulate the bark of a tree.
Thus, the assembler merely has to place the pole support for the tree in an appropriate base support, such as a conventional tripod base, read the identifying number on the lowermost position on the pole, select the appropriate spacer element which corresponds to that number and slip it down the pole to the bottom or lowermost portion of the supporting pole. Subsequently, the appropriately numbered branch retaining ring is selected and slipped down to be positioned on top of the spacer already positioned. Subsequently, alternating spacers and branch retaining rings are selected and slid down the supporting vertical pole. The assembly is completed by placement of a decorative branch on top of the supporting pole, with the total elapsed assembly time being a very few minutes at most. Of course, dismantling may be effected in the same very short period of time by reversing the assembly sequence.
Before describing this invention in more detail, it should be noted that a variety of different materials may be utilized for an artificial tree, produced in accordance herewith, including, for example, conventional twisted wire branches having tufted, intertwined plastic and/or metallic needles, twisted into place along the branches. Moreover, as will be understood, the branches may be single branches with no cross branches or they may have a plurality of cross branches, depending upon where the branches are to be placed on the tree, all in well known manner. The spacers forming the tree trunk may be cylindrical hollow structures and may be comprised of injection molded thermoplastic material, such as high impact polystyrene, or they may be metallic. Likewise, the retaining rings may be comprised of injection molded thermoplastic material.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.